Tokyo Mew Mew oneshot contest
by IchigoMashimaro
Summary: Im having an AU oneshot contest that starts today and ends at the end of this year. Plz submit contest rules inside contest ends at the end of this year and then the public gets to vote on there fav story
1. Chapter 1

**Hello ppls im havin a contest!**

**I know I havent really writen a story and put it on ecause I dont really feel like it but I wanna see what some of you people can do with your imagination.**

**So the contest is who can create the best AU oneshot of tokyo mew mew =3.**

**your story can be any length and any rating from k to t (mabe m depends) and it can be any pairing you want (even if I dont like that pairing) the story can be put up on your own profile but if you want to be in the contest you have to send it to me. If you want you can make it a song fic also but im not really fond of those oh well I wont be the one judging. Any way the contest starts today and ends in a week....and so plz review and tell meh what you think about the contest.**


	2. More info

Okies peoples ive been given a few tips so the deadline will be extended to the end of this year to give people more time to think up a good idea and just so you people know I want a oneshot AU which means no mew project or at least not in the same mew mew universe years later like an example whould be that all the aliens are vampires and the mews vampire hunters you dont have to use that idea but just its the basic idea of something that doesnt really relate to the original story. Please tell meh what you think and if you can make a story for meh. When the contest is over ill set up a poll to deside the winner.

~IchigoMashimaro 3


	3. The Undiscovered Country by Sakuuya

**Okies YAY FIRST STORY! This story is a ryou ichigo pairing rating is T and the athuor is sakuuya and the story is called ****The Undiscovered Country**** she entered this in another contest for those who think its unfair any of you can submit an old story even if its already won a contest I am going to count 2****nd**** and 3****rd**** places too.**

**Disclaimer: **The characters aren't mine, but the setting and plot are, thanks, and the epigraph is in the public domain.

* * *

_But the dread of something after death,_

_The undiscovered country from whose bourn_

_no traveler returns, puzzles the will_

_And makes us rather bear those ills we have_

_Than fly to those we know not of_

_-- Hamlet _Act III, Scene 1

* * *

"_We'll be going planetside in about 30 minutes, Doctor. Fair warning._"

Dr. Ryou Shirogane, age 48, resisted the temptation to smash the intercom with the book he was reading. Breaking parts of the ship wouldn't do anything to quell the annoyingly chipper, strangely British voice of the Kobayashi Maru's computer system, and, really, the urge to violently harm inanimate objects stemmed more from nervousness than anything else. Planetside in half an hour. Ryou had spent his whole life gaining a reputation for being composed, clinical. But right now he was ready to smash a starship to pieces because he was nervous about going to a planet he hadn't seen in more than 30 years. Pathetic, he mentally chided himself.

And yet, here he was, within minutes of Susseran, almost completely by chance. The Earth High Council had sent him along on the assumption that he was the closest thing they had to an expert on the planet. And, true, he'd spent more than a year here, back in the day, but he had never been a xenobiologist or anything of the sort, so his interest in the planet's ecosystem had been basically confined to determining that it could, in fact, support life. On the other hand, how many middle-aged roboticists could say that they'd named a planet?

When he'd been here before, long ago (to think just how long ago made him feel ancient, like he'd created Susseran instead of just been the first to semi-explore it), the planet hadn't been inhabited by anything more dangerous than strange chitin-covered hyena-things, easily dealt with by anyone with a plasma rifle. Certainly nothing sentient. He'd found no intelligent life, and had told the High Council so.

Therefore, it had come as quite a surprise to everyone when a routine scan of the planetary system had found sentient life. Natural sentient life, the scan-jockey had said, anticipating Ryou's protest. Not particularly advanced, but there was a culture there, and, thanks to Ryou's visit thirty years ago, they apparently spoke Japanese.

"_C'mon, Doctor! Planetside party leaving in 10 minutes. Get your tush up to the dock,_" the computer voice chirred, breaking him violently out of his reverie. Out of habit, he gave the intercom his signature glare, the one that could set even the most competent of lab assistants quaking at the knees, then headed to the docking station.

o()o

By observing the difference between the way the diplomatic corps looked after landing on Susseran to the way his fellow scientists did, Ryou got an accurate, if cynical, measure of how much more the High Council valued this as a political mission than as an exploratory one.

The diplomats were talking and laughing amongst themselves. Personally, Ryou wouldn't give any of them the time of day. People like that, who cared about _talking_ more than thinking, were utterly beneath his contempt, although he knew that one of his comrades, a Dr. Akasaka, had taken a shine to the translator (an American woman named, as Ryou vaguely recalled, Mary) during the voyage.

Speaking of Dr. Akasaka, the older man was looking positively green around the gills. The scientific crew had clearly gotten the less-experienced landing pilot. Ryou was feeling a little nauseous as well, but he wouldn't give anyone the satisfaction of making any outward sign of it. Heck, even Pai, the lone alien scientist to come on the mission, looked the worse for wear, although it was always hard to tell with aliens.

Looking away from his stricken fellows, Ryou saw that the diplomatic party had been met by the Susserian Duke herself. Nothing about the leader's long robe and face-concealing pointed hood suggested femininity, but the briefing Ryou and the others had sat through on the ship had identified Duke (apparently both a name and a title) as a woman.

That intelligence was proven correct as Duke addressed the gathered Terrans and Susserians. "Welcome to our world, Earthers," she said in a odd, lilting voice, much slower than the rapid-fire Japanese Ryou was used to hearing back on Earth. "I am sure we have much to learn from each other, and I hope this first true Earther meeting will be the first of many!" She clapped her robed hands together once, and her entourage did the same. The human party followed suit.

Then Duke turned her featureless, hooded face toward the scientists, who had been lurking awkwardly off to the side. _Culturally significant or not, that hood is _creepy, Ryou thought, although he betrayed no sign of his inner discomfort.

"You are Shirogane-san, are you not?" Duke asked in her heavily-accented voice. Ryou cocked an eyebrow in surprise.

"I am Dr. Ryou Shirogane, Duke-sama," he replied, coolly polite, and clapped his hands together in front of him. She did the same.

"I thought so. You are very much as the cat-woman described you. It is good to have you here, Shirogane-san." She clapped at him again, then went back to speak to the diplomats. Ryou stood rooted to the spot, visibly shaken.

Dr. Akasaka, who kept his long gray hair in a thin ponytail, touched his shoulder, hesitantly, as if he were afraid Ryou would spin around and bite his hand off. "Are you all right, Dr. Shirogane?" he asked quietly.

Ryou did whirl around then, and Dr. Akasaka, to his credit, only flinched slightly when faced with Ryou's steely glare.

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with, Doctor," he replied curtly. Akasaka, realizing when he wasn't wanted, moved discreetly away.

When a young Susserian, looking almost perfectly human save for his odd mode of dress and curious loping stride, came to direct the scientists to their quarters, Ryou pulled him aside and asked quietly, "Do you know of a woman named Ichigo? She has pink hair and strange ears?" The youth nodded eagerly.

" 'Course" he said with the same odd accent as Duke. "I can even show you where she lives, if you want. Right after I take you Earthers to your quarters, yes?" Ryou nodded and the boy bounded happily ahead.

o()o

Ichigo's house looked no different than any of the other houses in the settlement, basically piles of stone covered in living, growing grass that made them look like small hills. Still, Ryou felt, or imagined he felt, a certain electricity about the place, a spark in the air that could blossom into a tiny thunderstorm at the wrong word, the wrong gesture.

Standing outside, Ryou vigorously rang the bell, like a cat's bell, that hung from the entryway. After a moment he could hear a shuffling inside the dwelling and another moment later the blueish wood door opened, and Ryou was suddenly face-to-face with his past.

o()o

_15-year-old Ryou peeled the mask away from his face to inspect his work without having to filter light through the mask's orange goggles. The micro-welding was just about done. Every seam was sealed, every fiddly bit of circuitry in place, everything uploaded into the memory banks, and the outer membrane reapplied. All he needed to do was turn it on. _

_He grinned up at his assistant, a pale, blonde-haired grad student who was lucky enough to be getting university credit for working with a child prodigy. Grins like that were rare for him, even as a teen. He had always been the serious, studious one, but now everything he'd theorized about artificial intelligence was about to be made a reality._

"_Ready, Ms. Shirayuki?" He called. She wrinkled her nose, rabbit-like, and nodded._

"_You bet, Doctor! Man, if this works..." she trailed off as Ryou approached a central console and pressed the big red button in the center. _

_Immediately, the metal figure he had been working on,a tall, thin girl with a feline tail and matching ears poking out of her pink hair, began to move. Its pink eyes lit up and it looked around the room, then down at its hands, apparently amazed by what it saw._

"_How are you feeling, Ichigo?" Ryou asked the automaton mildly. Ichigo looked at him in confusion for a moment before replying._

"_I feel great, Dr. Shirogane," she said, her voice passably human if unpleasantly monotone. _

"_Good, that's good," Ryou replied, with another one of his rare smiles. "Would you mind if I ran some tests on you?"_

"_No problem. Go ahead." Ryou nodded and went to the main computer bank where Berri Shirayuki was staring open-mouthed at the robotic girl in the middle of the lab._

"_Holy shit! It worked!" The blonde-haired girl exclaimed excitedly, although her mood rapidly deflated when she saw Ryou's glare._

"_I would appreciate it if you wouldn't use language like that around my Mew. She's still very impressionable." Berri blushed embarrassedly and nodded._

"_Can't you just, like, reboot her if she learns the wrong stuff?" she asked after a moment, like a man prodding a rotten tooth to see when the pain will come. Ryou sighed._

"_If you had read my primer, Ms. Shirayuki you would no that there is no 'rebooting' with such advanced an AI. The only way to shut her down is with a code only I know, spoken in _my _voice, and even that's __simply a failsafe in case she somehow gets out of my control. And her personality wouldn't be recoverable, anyway. She'd just be a dumb robot."_

_Berri nodded again, vaguely, too busy watching Ichigo try out her new limbs to get lectured._

o()o

Ichigo looked exactly the way he remembered her, smooth-skinned and wide-eyed. More wide-eyed than usual, even, and Ryou felt a surge of pride at the look of shock that overtook her face. The reaction was perfectly humanlike. Ichigo was still a flawless approximation of human consciousness, more than thirty years after she'd been programmed. Any creator would take pride in such exceptional work.

"R-ryou-san?" she asked hesitantly, her voice bearing a trace of the lilting Susserian accent. "You came back..."

"Of course I came back," he said, keeping his voice neutral. "I said that I would, didn't I?"

"Yes but... what happened to you? You look so different!"

He considered this, and supposed she _would _find his appearance a shock. He wasn't unkempt or ill; in fact, he was probably in better shape now than he had been when he was sixteen. He had lived since then. And he still had a full head of hair, although the blond was slowly giving way to gray, giving him the look of someone in a crown of finely-woven gold and silver fibers when he stepped into sunlight. His face was lightly lined now, but that was as much from frowning as from age. None of this should have surprised the robot girl.

"I aged, Ichigo. Surely you're familiar with the phenomenon."

"Yes but..." Ichigo repeated herself, "I've seen the people here sicken and get old and even die. I just... I guess I didn't think it would happen to you."

o()o

_The woman in his doorway was about thirty, with short, businesslike brown hair that would have been proof of her occupation even if she _hadn't _been wearing a Human Fleet uniform. She saluted."Dr. Shirogane, I am commander Honjo with the Human Fleet. I assume you've been told about the new android law?" she asked in a businesslike voice, holding out a hand for Ryou to shake. When he didn't, she put it down, not visibly unbalanced by the teen's unfriendliness._

"_I have, Commander, and I think it's ridiculous. My creations pose no threat to anyone! It's idiotic that all my good work should be ruined because some researchers thousands of miles away were fools." He spat the last word, but Honjo seemed unphased. _

"_Nevertheless, the law has been passed. After what happened in India, did you expect anything less? The creation and maintenance of artificial intelligence is _illegal _now, Doctor. However, in light of the fact that you _have _been a great help in the past, the High Council is prepared to offer you an option other than simply destroying your-- what do you call them?"_

"_Mews," he replied curtly, and offered no further information._

"_Right, Mews. If you so choose, we will allow you to leave your "Mews" on an uninhabited, though livable, planet, no more than a quarter light-year from here. We would even allow you to stay with them for a period, to continue your studies. All that we ask is your signed promise that you will make no more artificial intelligences once your tenure is up. What do you say?"_

"_I say that you haven't left me much of a choice. Yeah, all right. I just don't want them to be destroyed." Honjo nodded curtly at his response._

"_Good. You leave in two days. Now if you'll let me in, I'll show you the necessary paperwork."_

o()o

"So, um, have you been well?" the robot-girl asked after an awkward pause.

"Well enough. There isn't a lot for a roboticist like myself to do on Earth now, when only minor AIs are allowed, and even then only with government supervision," Ryou replied, thinking again of the _Kobayashi Maru_'s irritating computer, a minor intelligence if he ever saw one. "Yourself?"

"I really do love it here," she said wistfully, and he was pleased to note that her ability to mimic human vocal tone had only grown in the intervening years. "I missed you so bad the first few years, but then I found that there were people here, and--" she sighed happily. "Yeah. I'm doing well."

He nodded, trying hard to keep his clinical mindset. "And the others? I haven't been to see them yet."

"Pretty good, mostly. Just about everyone adapted to life here quickly, and we've settled down." Ryou cocked a brow.

"_Mostly_? _Just about _everyone?"

"Well..." Ichigo began hesitantly, not willing to look her creator in the eye. "Zakuro... she didn't like living among people. She'd lost the knack during those years after you abandoned us, I guess. So she just fled into the forest one day. I haven't seen her in, oh, more than twenty years."

Ryou was taken aback. Zakuro, the last Mew he'd created before the Android Law had shut him down, had always been the most stable, the most practical of his creations. But there was nothing he could do.

Ichigo caught his odd expression and added, "I'm sorry. If I had known you would be back, I would have made more of an effort to keep her with us. Sorry."

"No, it's all right. I'm just surprised. So, has anything else exciting happened while I was away?"

"I got married!" she squealed, suddenly excited again. That was not what Ryou was expecting to hear, and his normally stoic face betrayed incredible shock. "I know, right? Unbelievable!" she continued happily. "His name's Masaya. He doesn't have any weird powers like some of the people here, but he's a good guy. He's out in the field right now, but if you come back later, I'll introduce you."

"I'll see if I can find the time," he responded mechanically. "It would be interesting to meet him."

o()o

_He had said goodbye to most of the Mews already. He would miss having them around, and his lab would be much quieter without Minto and Purin's screaming matches. He only needed to say goodbye to Ichigo, the first Mew he'd created and the last one he wanted to leave, and then he'd step into the waiting planet-lander, be flown up to a spaceship, and then away, too far away for any hope of return._

"_Don't go, Ryou!" the pink haired robot said desperately, her eyes shining in a way that would have meant tears were streaming down her cheeks, were she capable of crying. "Why can't you stay with us?"_

"_I've explained this, Ichigo," he reminded her patiently. "My life is on Earth. I wish you and the others could share it with me, but you _can't_. I'll miss you, but I have to go back. I'll come see you again someday." She just stared stubbornly at him, as if her glare could force him to stay._

_He moved over to her and put a hand on her cheek. Her resolve softened immediately. He kissed her once, a strong deep kiss that was a reminder of the year they'd spent together on this new world. Then he walked toward the idling planet-lander, without even a glance backward._

"_I'll wait for you forever," Ichigo whispered at his retreating back, just before the lander swallowed him up._

o()o

Ichigo's last words, half-heard but remembered with blistering clarity after all these years, haunted Ryou as he went about his scientific duties. _I'll wait for you forever_. Well. He knew how _that_ turned out.

On some level, he knew he was being ridiculous. He had left her here thirty years ago. Of _course_ she found someone else in that time.

But she had said she'd wait forever, and, if Ryou was being honest with himself, seeing her again was the real reason he had agreed to come on this voyage at all. That nagged at him as he interviewed Susserians about their technology and helped Dr. Akasaka collect floral samples.

What bothered him at night, lying awake in the hill-house where he stayed with the other scientists, was something he'd never admit aloud. When he'd created Ichigo all those years ago, he'd programmed her, so secretly that not even Berri noticed, to love him and him alone. It was a stupid, adolescent thing to do, but deep down, he was annoyed even now that that worship was the one part of Ichigo's programming that seemed to have failed.

o()o

It was the night before the Earth party left. Ryou had run exhaustive tests on three of his Mews already, determining that Minto, Retasu, and Purin were sane and healthy and would probably survive for hundreds of years. It was a good feeling, knowing that his work was built to last.

He hadn't tested Ichigo at all. In fact, he'd been avoiding her, although once someone pointed her husband out to him, he took every opportunity to glare at the poor Susserian.

Tonight, though, he had arranged to meet her in the makeshift laboratory set off from the main settlement. He paced nervously while he waited for her to show up, continually at war with himself. On the one hand, he was middle-aged, much too old to be mired in something as juvenile as an unrequited crush. But then Ichigo's whispered _I'll wait for you forever_ would sneak uninvited into his mind, and he conjured up an unasked-for mental picture of her shining, liquid eyes, and be once again hopelessly mired in need for her.

She arrived after dark, moving soundlessly through the thin-leafed underbrush with feline grace.

"I'm here," she said needlessly as she stepped into the lab's pool of silvery lithium-light. "What tests do you need to do?"

"Do you really think I called you here for that?" he asked incredulously. He thought he programmed her to be smarter than that.

"No," she replied, eyes downcast. "I don't." He went to her, intending to make her look at him, but ended up kissing her. She immediately opened her mouth and returned the kiss, which was hungrier and needier than he remembered from when he was young.

When they parted, Ryou asked tentatively, "What about Masaya?" Ichigo shook her head.

"He'll understand. He knows that I love you in a way I can't even describe, and he's such a nice guy. Besides, marriage here isn't quite like it is on earth. Susserians are more forgiving."

He kissed her again, and went to take off her clothes. As always, he marveled that flesh he knew to be artificial could be so real, so lifelike under him. His need for her was matched, as it always was, with pride that he had created something so perfect, a robot that was in every way real, and perfectly subservient to him. The feeling of power strengthened and intertwined with the pleasure of being with her, and it was the best feeling Ryou could imagine.

Later, lying next to her on the ground, Ryou turned toward Ichigo and pressed soft kisses along her hairline. "Come back with me," he murmured into her soft pink hair.

"No," she replied simply. Ryou raised himself up on his arms and stared at her.

"Don't worry. I'll get rid of your ears and tail and no one will be able to tell you're not human. You won't have to hide or anything like that."

"That's not the problem. I just... No. I can't go with you."

"It's not your husband, is it?" Ichigo shook her head.

"I told you. He's a great guy, but there's no passion there." Ryou stood up, frustrated, and tugged on his pants.

"What, then?" he fairly growled.

"I don't know how to say it nicely," she said, looking down at her hands. "You're... you're just so _old_! I remember you being so young and you're not anymore!"

"Of course not. You're older too, Ichigo."

"Only on the inside. This body you built me, it doesn't age. I'm the same," she said her eyes shimmering with her version of tears. "An—and I couldn't handle watching you get older, watching you die!" she sobbed bitterly. "It's better if I just stay here and remember you like you were."

"What about Masaya?" Ryou demanded, angry. "He's not going to be young forever, you know."

She nodded again. "I don't love him the way I love you. Isn't that stupid? I can stand watching him slowly die because I don't love him."

"Ichigo..." Ryou said quietly, visibly fighting to keep himself calm.

"Yeah?"

"Strawberry bell bell. Reborn, strawberry check," the scientist intoned, as if he were invoking a spell. The confusion in Ichigo's eyes at the strange words faded as he finished. In fact, the light in her eyes vanished entirely and she fell to the ground, limp and lifeless.

Ryou smiled grimly as he hefted the body over his shoulder, an action that made his back scream in protest. She didn't feel so lifelike now that she was dead, and he wondered vaguely how he could have ever thought this lump of steel and circuitry was a person.

He left her deep in the woods, where he knew the natives rarely went. They wouldn't find her for weeks.

o()o

The next morning, he boarded the lander with the other scientists, not sparing a single glance back toward the grave of the girl he had created.

o()o


	4. Angel Chior Rizu NekoChan

**YAY for the new entry and thx a lot this story is called Angel Chior by Rizu Neko-Chan and the rating is K+ much thx for this story. There are no pairings in this story but it is about Lettuce **

(A.N./ Ah, the thrill of a contest. Here I am, entering another contest, this one being and A.U. oneshot one by IchigoMashimaro. Big thanks to her for hosting it!

I've had this idea tossing around for a bit, and this contest proved a perfect opportunity to submit this story. It's probably not my best work, and I seriously doubt I'll win if I'm going up against sakuuya, Kish's Kittie, and Kitty Kat K.O. -bows respectfully to the totally awesome authors- But it's fun, all the same, to write things for contests.

I hope you enjoy the story as much as I did writing it!)

_-_

"_O little town of Bethlehem  
How still we see thee lie  
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep  
The silent stars go by…"_

The angelic, unified voice of the choir filled my ears all around me, and I did my best to blend my voice in with them. I never liked the sound of my soprano; I was always too quiet when I sang. All the better, though, because I tended to be a bit flatter than the notes the tune called for.

My name is Midorkawa Lettuce, and I am a member of the Tokyo Studio Tour Choir. I was virtually forced into the choir at the age of five, when my mother first heard me sing and recognized so-called "talent" in my voice. For the first few weeks it had been fun, but I never really liked it a whole lot. I just considered it…boring. I made a few good friends there, too: Momomiya Ichigo and Fong Pudding. They made the class more bearable, and eventually became my best friends.

The tour choir was fairly large, and traveled all over the Tokyo metro area. Our appointment today, on Christmas Eve, was a roomy cathedral in the downtown district. It was packed full of people in huge dresses and fluffy, winter coats, which made for a more muffled tone when the choir sang. We tended to adapt, though, and just sang louder than usual.

The only thing that really bothered me was that the choir loft was so small that the forty or so of us had to squeeze together in a small, packed mass. On top of that, I was positioned in the third row to the back, crammed off to the side with Ichigo standing next to me. At least we could both suffer together.

I fingered the satin fabric of my white choir robe as I sang, fixing my eyes straight forward to the glossy, bright stain-glass window on the opposite side of the cathedral. Focusing on something else was my personal method for avoiding being nervous. It kept my mind off the hundreds of people listening to us below.

"_The hopes and fears of all the years  
Are met in thee tonight"_

I nearly gagged when I missed a note horribly. I flushed bright red and kept my head bowed, hoping no one heard me.

_Third row from back, third row from back… _I reminded myself. The more I reminded myself that I couldn't be heard easily, the better I felt. Sure, deep down, I wish I could speak up and be heard more, but I'm not a great singer, so it would be best for me to remain backup.

Besides, it wasn't me who deserved the front row. It was people like the tall girl that always stood behind me, staying quiet and solemn. She had the most melodic voice in the whole choir, but she never requested the front row, and the teachers never put her there. Maybe it was because she was so serious looking all the time that she could never fit in on cheerful occasions. Or maybe it was because she was so tall that she would tower over the other people in the front row. Either way, she deserved it.

Even Ichigo had a wonderful voice; I envied her talent at singing. She had a beautiful soprano that evened out mine. She even had the looks of an angel, lucky girl. Her chocolate-brown eyes, shoulder-length red hair, and even skin tone made for a perfect angel figure.

Me? My voice wasn't nearly as good, my complexion wasn't as lovely, and I wore glasses. My mom had insisted on my wearing contacts a few years ago, when I had come home crying after a girl from the choir had called me "four-eyes". I objected, though, and she finally gave into my pleading. The idea of something sitting on your eye made me scared at the time, and I hated the idea. I guess I might be old enough to wear them now, but I just never asked. That's me - Miss Never-speak-up.

"_O morning stars together  
Proclaim the holy birth  
And praises sing to God the King  
And Peace to men on earth"_

I listened for Ichigo's singing next to mine, but, when I heard none, I turned my head to glance in her direction. I immediately stopped singing and gasped when I saw that she had both hands on her throat, and was taking slow, gasping breaths. Her knees knocked together, and her face appeared absolutely pale. I bent down to her and tried to communicate, whispering,

"_Ichigo-san! Are you okay?! Ichigo-san!" _She didn't reply, only sending a pleading glance in my direction before staring wide-eyed in front of her.

I stood up again, looking around the cramped mass of people for some indication that anyone else noticed Ichigo. The row behind us didn't seem to notice a change, or was just ignoring us for the sake of the choir. I bit my lip when I realized that they would be right to ignore Ichigo, since stopping the choir meant ruining the whole performance we had been practicing long and hard for.

I looked back down to Ichigo, who was bent over her legs, taking in breaths faster than before.

"_No ear may his His coming,  
But in this world of sin…"_

I listened to the people around me. We seemed to be nearing the last stanza, but by the looks of Ichigo, she wasn't going to last until the end of the song.

What was I going to do? If I was to interrupt, then the whole program would be ruined! But if I didn't, then Ichigo might suffer the consequences.

"_O holy Child of Bethlehem  
Descend to us, we pray…"_

A bead of sweat slid down my face as I rose up to full height and cupped my hands over my mouth, calling to our director in front of us,

"Akasaka-sensei!" I received a few bitter looks from some of the girls in my row before I tried again. My heart beat faster, and I clenched my jaw in frustration. In a burst of confidence, I yelled as loud as I could manage,

"_AKASAKA-SENSEI! ICHIGO-SAN IS HAVING AN ASTHMA ATTACK!"_

I was sure I was doomed when the choir came to a dead halt, and everybody stared in my direction. A few awkward seconds passed as I caught my breath, then I said again,

"Ichigo-san needs help, now!"

Our director, Akasaka, shoved his way through the packed choir to our row with difficutly, muttering a few "Excuse me"s and "Pardon me"s. Once he made it to our row, he dropped down beside Ichigo and checked her forehead for her temperature, then placed his two fingers on her neck to check her heart rate. He face looked grim as he turned to me.

"Could you help me get her down into the lobby?" he turned to rows behind us, "Who here has a cell phone?" Surprisingly, the tall, beautiful girl I admired so much in the back row raised her hand. She took her phone out from the pocket of her skirt under her white robe and flipped it open. I heard her dialing 9-1-1, and she held it up to her ear. Akasaka nodded to me, and we both took Ichigo's weight upon us, draping her arms around our shoulders. We carried her to the small, wooden staircase behind the last row and descended carefully. I strained my muscles under the weight, and forced myself to keep moving. Ichigo's gasps of air were getting deeper and more desperate, and her eyes were shut tightly closed.

I mumbled words of encouragement to her as we descended,

"Ichigo-san, hold on, we're almost there. You're almost there, Ichigo-san. Help is on the way." Some of the words were encouragement for myself as well.

Akasaka looked straight ahead, his eyes showing worry and concern. He had to be one of the kindest people I've ever met. He was always slow to correct, but kindly nudged me in the right direction if I was ever doing something wrong in choir practice. No one knew where his kindness sprouted from, but a rumor had been passing along that he is widowed, and he is taking after his wife's kindness and quickness to reach out to others. A good Samaritan act such as this came only natural for him. I looked up to him as my role model because of his kindness.

Once we finally reached the bottom of the stairs, what seemed like half of the congregation was gathered in the hallway, helping us around and asking if we needed any help. I asked one of them, who seemed to be the preacher, if he could call Ichigo's parents. He obliged and borrowed another congregational member's cell phone, dialing the number as I gave it to him,

"…7-0-5. Thank you very much, sir." I said, nodding my head in thankfulness.

"It's no trouble," he said, holding the phone up to his ear, "I'm just praying that your friend is alright." I nodded and lowered my head, moving in sync with Akasaka's steps as we made our way to the heavy church doors.

The sound of high-pitched sirens rang outside.

After that, everything seemed to move in a blur. Ichigo was safely loaded into the ambulance and was taken to the hospital. Akasaka and I waited out at the church for Ichigo's parents, then I related the story to them as we drove to the designated hospital. Her dad seemed like he was ready to have an asthma attack himself, and her mom wanted to hear every single detail on what happened. She told us that Ichigo hasn't had a heart attack since she was very young, and that she certainly didn't expect another one again.

Once we were at the hospital, Mr. and Mrs. Momomiya, Akasaka, and I were informed that Ichigo was in stable condition, and she should be back out of the hospital in a day or two. Her dad seemed relieved, and demanded to see her at once. Her mom just held him back from threatening the poor nurse, and politely asked if she was allowed visitors.

Akasaka and I went in to visit her also, and found her to be asleep under an oxygen mask with an IV stuck in her arm. Her breathing seemed to be back to normal, and she appeared peaceful again. I smiled to myself as Akasaka and I left the hospital, glad that she was alright.

The car ride back to my home was more than awkward. Akasaka had called for a ride from his nearby nephew, Shirogane Ryou. I was blushing and fumbling about like an idiot around him, since that's usually what I act like around cute boys. It was extremely embarrassing, and I insisted on the back seat, farthest away from the source of my blush-o-rama.

I fiddled with my hands nervously as Akasaka gave Ryou the summary of events.

"…I also spoke to the preacher a bit," he said, "and he said that the congregation still thought our singing was wonderful, and they'll keep Ichigo in their prayers." I sighed discreetly in relief. I hadn't ruined it.

Akasaka turned to me,

"Midorkawa-san?" I lifted my head up,

"Y-yes?"

"That was very brave of you," he said, "I'm glad you spoke up when you did. Ichigo thanks you greatly, I'm sure. You're quite the hero."

I blushed and looked down at my skirt as he spoke.

"Th-thank you…" I mumbled under a heap of embarrassment. I pushed my glasses up higher on the bridge of my nose.

I glanced out the car window, looking on at the dark black night sky. My muscles relaxed and I sighed, closing my eyes. Peace settled down upon me as I slowly drifted off into a deep sleep...

_We hear the Christmas angels  
The great glad tidings tell  
O come to us, abide with us  
Our Lord Emmanuel _

_-_


	5. TazzybizzyNya Your Grievance Shall Be

**AT LAST MY LONG AWAITED PRAYS HAVE BEEN ANSWERED EMMA AI HAS COME TO TOKYO MEW MEW lol yeah any way this story is called ****Your Grievance Shall Be Avenged** **yeah no real pairings in it but kisshu is a stalker in it o-o kinda scary too but anyway the story was writen by TazzybizzyNya and the rating is T for creepyness and violence...yeah **

Hmmm, I'm gonna make this a story but the first chapter will be part of IchigoMashimaro's contest.

The Mews aren't mews and they hear about something called the Hell Correspondence. The mew characters in the Hell Girl universe!

**I don't not own Tokyo Mew Mew**

**I don't own Hell Girl.**

This is modeled after Hell Girl episode two, The Possessed Girl. Reminded me of Ichigo and Kishu.

No Masaya bashing intended, this is how it happened in the episode.

And Kishu fangirls, don't kill. I have another story that people want me to finish so wait until I'm done with that, THEN you can kill me.

Here we go!

* * *

The Momomiya's phone ran and after the final ring it went to voice mail.

"Little kitty, little kitty, little lost cat. Where in the world is your home at?" the voice sang.

Ichigo Momomiya was up in her room on her computer looking up a website she heard about at school, the Hell Correspondence. Rumors say that if you searched the link at midnight and type in the name of the one you wished revenge on that the Hell Girl will come and take their soul to hell, but you also go to hell.

A flame rose from the bottom of the screen.

'Your grievance shall be avenged. Send.' was all that the page said.

The red haired girl typed in two simple words,"My stalker."

Her pink phone started vibrating and she looked at the screen.

"Your message was received-Hell girl" Ichigo smiled in happiness then her phone began ringing and the caller id said 'private.'

Ichigo set her phone down on her dresser and sat down in the corner of her bed and wall and she began crying.

Ichigo's parents came running into her room and her mom cuddle up with her daughter and her dad picked up her phone.

"Quit calling you bastard! I'm going to find you!" he yelled over the man's singing then he hung up. "Don't worry Ichigo, we'll protect you." he said as he sat with his wife and daughter.

Her parents tucked their only daughter in and gave her their,'Everything will be alright' speech and went to their room. Ichigo didn't sleep peacefully though, she had nightmares of the past year of the man with green hair following her around.

Ichigo got up and her and her dad drove to the police precinct and Ichigo had to wait in the hall while her dad talked to the Captain.

"What the hell are you doing! This guy has been stalking y daughter for over a year and is still out there!"

"Shintaro, please be patient, we are doing all we can." a black haired boy said.

"Officer Aoyama, please don't refer to Mr. Momomiya like that." the green haired detective said.

"Sorry sir." Aoyama said then sweetly smiled.

"Aoyama, do mind getting me some coffee, I pulled an all nighter." the Captain said.

"Alright Captain Kishu." Aoyama said then left the room.

"Mr. Momomiya, we have a suspect."

"Who?"

"Aoyama."

"What! Go and arrest him now!"

"Please, Mr. Momomiya. It's dealing with an officer. We have to handle this very carefully. When he comes back please try not to act suspicious." Kishu said.

"Fine."

Meanwhile outside Aoyama went to the coffee machine and pushed the button. As the cups filled he turned around and smiled and waved at Ichigo who was staring at the ground. She looked up and smiled back at him. Aoyama took the coffee and brought back to Kishu.

"Here you go sir. I put that on your tab. You owe me three cups now." Aoyama joked.

"I'll pay for that eventually." Kishu said then laughed.

Shintaro just stared at the table and stood up.

"Thank you officer for all your help. Call me if you find out anything."

"Of course sir." Kishu said then Shintaro left.

"Let's get you to school Ichigo."

"Okay Dad." Ichigo said then followed her dad to their black car. Thirty minutes later Ichigo was at school and opened the car door.

"I'll pick you up right after school." Shintaro said.

"Dad, I'm sorry."

"Don't be! It's not your fault. Don't worry. I'm here to protect you." he said then smiled at his daughter and drove away.

Ichigo ran into the school and went to her locker.

"Ichigo Momomiya?"asked a woman with black hair in a ponytail and a red business suit that showed off her chest.

"Yes?"

"Would you mind coming with me for a moment?" she asked.

"Okay." Ichigo said then followed the woman. The woman opened the door to the science room and turned towards Ichigo.

"Right in here."

"But I'm-"

"Now." the woman said then walked into the room.

"Wait!" Ichigo yelled then followed her in. But to her surprise she didn't find a science room, she found a beautiful meadow with a sunset and a large tree in front of her.

"You're here." a good looking guy said as he appeared out of nowhere followed by an old man with his eyes closed. The woman from before spun around and her business outfit change into a kimono with a red obi tied in the front.(an obi is like a red piece of string tied around the waist and it's the trademark for a oiran or prostitute) and her hair was in a mess up do.

Then a girl with back hair and red eyes appeared.

"You've summoned me." she stated.

"What?"

"I am Ai Emma."

"Hell Girl?"

"I think she finally gets it." the older woman said.

"You came!" Ichigo exclaimed.

"Because you summoned me."

"Thank goodness! At last, it'll be over." Ichigo said with tears running down her cheeks.

"Has this past year been that hard?" the old man asked.

"It started with love letters. I found one in the mailbox every day, and then they turned into weird gifts."

"Weird?" the good looking guy asked.

Images of dead flowers, headless dolls, and a box full of bugs flashed through Ichigo's head. She fell to her knees and began crying.

"That's fantastic." the good looking guy said.

"He just wanted your attention." the old man said.

"He sure got." the old man said.

"And then?" the woman asked.

"Then I started getting phone calls and e-mails, I changed my e-mail address so many times but it was no use."

"Our boy is quite resourceful." the guy said.

"After that he started following me almost every day. And finally, I don't know how he got in, but he got into my room while I was out of the house and there was a dress. It was no use, no matter how many times we changed the locks, he still got in. I just can't take it anymore! Even worse it's killing my mom and dad!"

"Wanyudo." Ai said.

"Yes, miss." the old man said then wrapped his red scarf around his next and shrunk down into a small black straw doll with a red thread around its neck. Ai picked it up and put it towards Ichigo.

"Take it." she said."If you really want retribution untie the red thread around his neck." Ai said then Ichigo grabbed then doll from her hands.

"By untying the thread, you will enter a covenant with me, the object of your vengeance will immediately be banished to Hell."

"To Hell?!" Ichigo asked, she could believe this was happening.

"However, once you have your retribution, you will have to pay the price for it as well."

"Price?"

"All curses come home to roost. If you enter into the covenant, you too, will go to Hell."

Ichigo gasped in horror.

"Of course we're talking about after you die." the guy said.

"You will never see Heaven, and your soul will wander for eternity in pain and agony." the women said in a caring voice.

Then the sunset meadow faded away and red demons began grabbing at Ichigo and clawing at her. Their touch burned like a thousand fires against her skin and she cried out in pain. The pain stopped and Ichigo opened her eyes to see she was sitting in the empty hallway in front of the science room.

Ichigo stood up and stared at the doll, not noticing Ai floating in the window besides her.

" All that remains is for you to decide." she said then disappeared.

Ichigo continued through her day thinking whether she should pull the string and enjoy life now or throw the doll away in hopes they catch her stalker.

The final bell rang when Shintaro pulled up in the car. He stretched out his arms and notice a figure leaning against a tree with his face covered by shade. He leaned in closer and saw it was Aoyama.

"That bastard!" he yelled then got out of his car and took off towards him with a pipe in his hand.

Meanwhile in the school Ichigo packed up her stuff into her bag and set the straw doll inside. She stared at it and remember the words the women said. 'You will never see Heaven, and your soul will wander for eternity in pain and agony.' Ichigo held her head and felt like she was going to scream.

Shintaro approached Aoyama and when he got to him he saw that he was already dead.

"H-he's dead!" Shintaro said then heard footsteps behind him. He turned around to see Kishu with a shovel in his hands then he blacked out.

Ichigo ran out of the school and got in the car.

"Sorry I'm late dad."

"Welcome back." Kishu said who was in the driver's seat.

"Captain Kishu!"

" We figured out who your stalker is."

"Really!"

"Yeah, we're going to go arrest him right now." Kishu said.

Ichigo's smiled faltered as she noticed the little fuzzy pink heart charm from her phone was sticking out of Kishu's suit pocket. Kishu smirked at her and turned on the car then Ichigo saw the red shovel in the back seat and figured it would be best if she went along with it.

An hour later Kishu stopped the car and let the crying Ichigo out and led her to an deserted shack. Ichigo sat down in a booth far away from Kishu who was singing the little kitty song while swinging the shovel in the air like he was cutting someone's head off.

"Stop it!" Ichigo yelled as she scowled at him.

"Don't yell. Please don't scowl at me like that, Ichigo."

"You got not right to talk to me like you know me!"

"What are you saying? This is you and me. We even exchanged gifts."

"You're the one who just kept sending them to me!"

"Finding those flowers were tough you know. If you hadn't mentioned it to your friends earlier that day how much you love them, I wouldn't have gone through such trouble."

"What?"

"And that doll, and those insects, and that lovely dress. Oh yes, and that dead hamster I sent you on your birthday."

"What are you talking about?"

"Love is devoting yourself, isn't it? I really came to understand that with this relationship."

Ichigo began crying even more.

"So why? I love you so much! What are you unhappy with?!"

"No! Why! Why are you doing this?! If it weren't for you I wouldn't have to suffer like this!" Ichigo yelled.

"What did you say? Why are you unhappy? WHAT PART OF MY LOVE IS MAKING YOU SUFFER!"

"Just stop it!"

"Ichigo! What part of it is making you suffer?!" Kishu yelled then raised the shovel above his head and crashed it down on the wooden table in front of her.

"I'm going to ask you one last time Ichigo. What part of me is making you suffer?! Well what is it?!" Kishu yelled.

"ANSWER ME ICHIGO!" Kishu bellowed then raised the shovel above his head. His swung it down but Ichigo put her finger around the red thread and snapped it.

"Your grievance has been heard." the old man's voice said.

Then the good looking guy dressed in a police uniform came in and Kishu stopped the shovel and broke through the window and ran away.

"Stop! Hey!" he yelled as he watch Kishu jump over a fence.

'It's gone! The doll is gone!' Ichigo thought.

"Are you alright Ichigo?" the guy asked. "The covenant has been established." he said as he took of his hat. "Just look at your chest." he added.

Ichigo moved her hand to the collar of her shirt and looked down and saw a small black flame with a black circle around it.

"It's the seal of the covenant." he said.

"The seal of the covenant?" Ichigo asked but when she looked up he was gone.

In the Sunset dimension Ai put on a black kimono with red lining and circular bright colored flowers that flowed down when she stood up. She got into a chariot with the wheels on fire and it flew in the air.

Meanwhile Ichigo was in the hospital with her mom at her dad's bedside. He had an oxygen mask on and IV stuck in his arm.

"Dad." Ichigo said.

"I won't forgive. You betrayed me." Kishu said from outside the hospital. "I'll make you regret it!" he said as he walked up the nurse at the front desk with a suit that showed off her chest and name tag said Ren.

"Welcome sir." Ren said then all the lights went out.

"Damn. Lights-out time, huh?" Kishu reassured himself. Kishu felt something wet on his feet and looked down and saw water and blood trailing in. He opened a nearby door and saw a faucet running blood. Then pale white hands grabbed Kishu by the ankle and he fell. More and more reached towards him then a good looking guy in a male's nurse uniform and a name tag that said Hone appeared in the doorway.

"Is something the matter?" he asked with a smiled on his face. "Having some trouble with the tap? You really shouldn't leave these running." Hone said as he casually walked over to the sink and turn off the water. Kishu got up and ran away while Hone smiled not even caring about the pale white faces with blood coming out of where their eyes should be.

Kishu ran until he saw the room labeled," 403. Shintaro Momomiya."

He looked in and saw the back of a doctors head and Ichigo was leaned over her father's body crying.

"I'm so sorry." the doctor said.

"DADDY!" Ichigo cried.

The doctor came out of the room and Kishu hid and caught a glimpse at the name tag," Wanyudo." After the doctor passed Kishu got up from his hiding spot and ran into the room where Ichigo was leaned over her fathers body sobbing.

Kishu chuckled," Ah he's dead. Serves him right. I'll send you right after your father, Ichigo. It's what you get for betraying me." Kishu said then pulled out a knife. Ichigo turned around but it wasn't Ichigo. It was a skeleton. Kishu jumped back in fear then the skeleton on the bed jumped up and grabbed him.

"How dare you make my daughter suffer like that?!" the skeleton said. Kishu pushed him off and started kicking the skeleton that was on the ground then stopped when the skeleton turned into his own corpse. Kishu screamed.

He ran down the hallway but was stopped by Ren who had a needle filled with yellow liquid in her hand.

"So, have you learned your lesson yet?"

"I think that the pretty lady wants to hear you confess to all your wicked deeds, Captain Kishu." said Hone from behind him.

"That's just crazy. I mean I haven't done anything wrong." Kishu said as he turned around to face him.

"Oh is that so?" Wanyudo said appearing behind him.

"It's Ichigo fault! It's her fault for betraying me! SHE BETRAYED ME!" Kishu yelled as he turned towards the old man.

"Hear that miss?" Wanyudo said turning besides him. Then the hospital disappeared and Kishu was floating in a place where everything was red and sakura petals were falling down like snow.

"O pitiful shadow lost in the darkness, demeaning and bringing harm to others. A damned soul, wallowing in sin. Care to give death a try?" Ai said then extended her arm and the flowers on her kimono came off and Kishu blacked out.

He woke up in a place full of fog and inside a little wooden boat and Ai was paddling.

"Where am I?" he said as he looked up at the gray sky and saw a glowing pink symbol consisting of four ovals all pointing to one another.

He looked back at Ai and asked," Where are we going? W-where in the world are we!?"

Then someone grabbed Kishu from behind and held him in their arms. " Where are we I wonder? Eh, mister?" Ren said.

"What are you doing!? Let me go!"

"No can do." Ren said then her hand turned to bone and she dug it into his chest and began twisting it. Kishu let out horrible screams only to not be heard.

"I consign the grievance to Hell." Ai plainly stated.

"Little kitty, little lost cat. Where in the world is your home at?" Ren sang as they entered an arch.

"As punishment, the unsociable Ichigo must explore the haunted apartment building alone."

"Please there's no way!" Ichigo yelled then laughed with her friends.

"You can buy lunch." another suggested.

"In your dreams."

"Picky! Picky!" another friend said.

Her mom and dad pulled up besides her and her friends and they said their goodbyes and she ran over to the car.

"Your late." Ichigo said as she got in the car.

"Oh I'm sorry honey." Shintaro said.

"How about to make up for it we let Ichigo chose where we eat tonight. " Sakura said.

"Oh that's a wonderful idea dear."

Ichigo smiled that everything was normal but remembered the price for it. She looked down at her chest and saw the seal of the covenant and whispered to herself,"Hell."

Ai walked up to where a bunch of candles were floating in pure darkness with Japanese writing on them and set one down that read," Ichigo Momomiya."

"Your grievance shall be avenged." Ai said then teleported away in a whirlpool of sakura petals.

* * *

DON'T KILL ME KISHU FANS! It's just how the episode goes. Stalker, red herring, victim.


	6. Without a Prayer by Tomoyo Kinomoto

**Yay another entry the story is rated T and is called Without a Prayer by **Tomoyo Kinomoto

**Disclaimer: I don't own TMM, "Not My Time" by 3 Doors Down, or the AU contest hosted by IchigoMashimaro**

Reviews are wonderful! And a special shout out to sakuuya for being a great beta!

* * *

"Look out!" Ichigo jumped, the blast from below barely missing her. She landed on what used to be a building, and paused to catch her breath.

"Thanks, Ryou. On your left!" Ryou spun, raising his blade to block an attack. He twisted his sword, yanking his opponent's weapon out of his grasp, and sent it flying into the abyss below. There was an unearthly scream, and a huge shadow came hurtling out of the darkness. It was almost a person. It looked like one for the most part, except it had huge, black, bat-like wings, and a purple-black aura about them. The thing snapped its wings open so it hovered above the cliff-top, the sun glinting maliciously off the claws on its hands and wingtips.

"I got it!" someone shouted below. The person leapt from jutted rock to jutted rock to reach the thing, so fast he was nearly a blur. On his way up, he stole a kiss from Ichigo. Growling, she swiped at him, but missed.

"Cut it out, Kish!"

Kish grinned cheekily back down at her. "Aw! But that would ruin all my f -- "

"Behind you!" she shrieked. Kish flinched, saving his own life. A ball of purple-black aura shot mere centimeters over his head. He turned, all the humor gone from his face. Before the thing had any time to react, Kish had loaded and fired his tonfas.

"You know, Ryou," he called, dodging an uppercut, and landing a few feet above Ichigo, "I could use a bit of help, here." He launched himself into the air, just before the rock below him exploded.

"I'll be right there," shouted Ryou, loping his opponent's head off. He wiped the sweat out of his eyes. Man, even disarmed, these things were _tough_.

"What'd I miss?" Ryou jumped, swinging his sword around to fight. Minto rolled her eyes. "Sheesh, it's just me."

"Sorry about that," he said, relaxing. They both stared up at Kish's battle. Ichigo was yelling insults at Kish. In her own way, she was cheering him on. "Hey," Ryou said, thinking.

"Hmm?"

"Can I use your bow for a sec?"

Minto sighed dramatically. "Well, if you must."

Ryou rolled his eyes, mocking her. "I'm not going to break it or anything."

"Uh-huh," said Minto, not impressed. She crossed her arms, and watched Ryou. Swiftly, Ryou took his sword, nocked it like an arrow, pulled back, and took aim. "What are you -?"

"Heads, Kish!" He let go, sending the sword flying straight into the thing's chest. It screamed, the same sound from before. Ichigo covered her ears; Minto winced. The thing fell, plummeting to the ground until its wings got caught in some tree branches.

"Thanks for the heads up." Ryou blinked, then laughed. The sword had pierced Kish's shirt, pinning to the thing.

"At least it's dead now!"

"Well how the hell am I supposed to get down from here now, huh? Think of that one?" There was a ripping sound, and, protesting, Kish fell over the abyss. A golden blur tackled him in mid-air onto a rock ledge.

"Kish, no na da!"

"Oof!"

"Purin was getting worried about all of you, no na da! Tar-Tar and the others are still underground, though."

"That's… lovely. Now could you please get off me?" Purin giggled. She was sitting on Kish's chest, leaving him unable to move. Bouncing once before getting off, (Kish moaned.) Purin jumped off of the ledge, flipped on the way down, and landed next to Ichigo.

"Hi, onee-chan!"

"Purin, don't do that to Kish," scolded Ichigo, ruining the effect by hugging Purin tightly. "I'm glad you got out okay," she murmured into the smaller girl's hair.

"Me too." Ichigo jumped, spinning around so that she was shielding Purin. Ryou grinned. "Got you!"

"You did not!"

"Uh-huh," Ryou remarked, "Sure." There was a rumbling sound, and Minto darted up the cliff-face to where they were standing. The ledge she and Ryou had been on minutes ago crumbled and fell into the abyss.

"Well," she said, brushing her blue bangs out of her eyes, panting slightly for breath from the sprint, "I think we should go down there and help the others. Don't you?"

"I just need to get my sword."

"And grab Kish while you're up there!" Ichigo called after him. Ryou waved to show he heard, but did not turn around. He passed Kish, who was gingerly sitting up, and clambered up to the tree. When he reached the top, he paused, looking below him. The cliff he and the others were on was high above the tree line. Perhaps a hundred meters below where he stood, metal beams crisscrossed one another, forming a shaft to that led to an underground labyrinth. The sunlight caused the metal to glint a harsh blue-purple color. Ichigo made a face at Ryou, trying to get him to hurry up. Ryou shrugged, and walked over to the tree. The thing had half-fallen out of the tree, only its right arm and wing were ensnared, now. Tugging, Ryou struggled to get his sword out of the thing's chest.

"It's not… budging!" he panted.

"Try harder!" shouted Ichigo.

"That's not helpful!" he shouted back. Grunting with the effort, Ryou tried fruitlessly to cut the sword out. Suddenly, the thing's wings unfurled, catching him in the gut, and sending both him and the sword flying. Ryou exclaimed in shock and pain, landing a few meters away. The thing sprang into the air, and dove down the side of the cliff. There was a high-pitched scream. Ryou rolled onto his stomach, and peered over the side of the cliff.

"The Null got Purin!" Ryou's insides turned to ice.

"No…" he whispered. Minto gave a scream of frustration, and jumped off of the ledge. She landed gracefully on a metal beam below.

"Are you coming, or not?" she asked accusingly, glaring up at the rest of them. Not waiting for their replies, she descended into the darkness. Kish swung his legs over the side of the ledge while pushing off with his hand, sending himself falling after Minto. Ryou slid his sword into its sheath and jumped, landing next to Ichigo.

"Come on," he murmured, resting his hand on her shoulder. "You have to be strong. We'll rescue her in time." Ichigo nodded, swallowing her tears.

"Right." She took off, landing on the closest beam, Ryou right behind her. Together they left the light of the sun behind.

* * *

"Duck!" Tart dropped to the ground without hesitating. Zakuro swung her bo over his head, and rammed the Null in the face. Retasu came from behind, and brought her throwstick crashing down. The Null fell like a stone.

"We did it!" cheered Retasu, taking a step back.

"Not quite."

Tart turned to glare at Pai. "Whad'you mean 'not quite'?" Pai said nothing, then darted forward. The Null was stumbling to its feet. Swiftly, Pai slashed off one of its wings with his metal fan. With a scream, the Null charged, its tar-like blood oozing onto the tunnel floor. A spear flew through its head and clean out the other side. The Null stopped dead in its tracks, wavering.

"Nice shot."

"Thank you, Miss Zakuro," Keiichiro replied. "But come, we must escape while it's confused."

"You mean that didn't kill it either?" asked Tart, incredulous.

Retasu grabbed Keiichiro's spear, and handed it to him. "Please, Tart. Let's get out of here while we can." Tart nodded, glancing one over his shoulder. The hole in the Null's head was already starting to heal. They ran down the tunnel, taking sharp turns to try and confuse the Null. A dark figure ran into the passage in front of them. Keiichiro kept on running, charging with his spear. There was the sound on wood knocking on wood as the attack was blocked.

"It's me."

"Masaya!" Keiichiro lowered his weapon. "You scared us. We thought you were a Null."

"I'm not yet, and don't plan on ever being one," he said grimly. There was a scream.

"Was that a - ?" asked Retasu tentatively.

"No…" Tart was thunderstruck with horror. "It's _Purin_!" He spun on his heel, and dashed down the tunnel.

"Tart! Come back!" It was too late; he was already gone.

"…Who else is coming?" asked Zakuro, facing everyone else.

"Let's go." Masaya started running down the tunnel, not leaving time for anyone to answer, the others at his heels.

* * *

"Ichigo!"

"Ichigo, wait!" Ichigo ignored both of them, sprinting down the winding tunnels.

"Ichigo! Look out!" Something was hurtling down the tunnel towards her. Her eyes widened; there was not enough time to avoid impact. Dread twisted in her stomach as Ichigo braced herself, waiting for the inevitable crash into the Null. Eyes squeezed shut, she ran into something soft, and … warm? Opening her eyes, she looked up.

"Masaya!" Masaya grinned, and pulled Ichigo into a bear hug.

"I'm glad you're alright!" he murmured into her hair. Ichigo blushed.

"Zakuro-oneechan!" Minto hugged Zakuro around the waist. Ryou raised an eyebrow at Keiichiro; he merely smiled.

"Well this is a lovely reunion," Kish remarked, staring warily at Pai, "But don't you all think it's time we got going?" Pai raised his arm, as if he was going to strike Kish. Kish flinched. With a swishing noise, Pai threw his fan over Kish's head, and severed the head of a looming Null. Retasu screamed. The Null collapsed to the ground, blood bubbling at the stump of its neck. Ryou looked at Kish, worried. All the color had drained from Kish's face, leaving it as white as parchment.

"The Nulls are gathering at a central point," Pai said flatly, "Purin will most likely be there." There was a hitch in Ichigo's breathing. Both Ryou and Masaya looked at her worriedly. Kish gave a weak smirk.

"Aw, kitten! Are you scared of the Nulls? I'll protect you!" he darted in for a quick kiss, but Ichigo hit him over the head, knocking him to the side.

"Stop. Calling. Me. _Kitten!_" Ichigo raged. Ryou tried to smother his laughter with his hand. Laughing, Kish ran in the direction the Null had come from.

"Come and catch me, if you can!" he taunted, hands on hips. Ichigo ran after him, but Kish danced out of reach. Zakuro walked calmly and silently behind them, her bo held loosely by her side. Without warning, she crouched and spun the bo at their ankles. Ichigo jumped out of the way, startled, but Kish was not so lucky. "Wah!" He fell to the ground, glaring at Zakuro. "What did that do?"

Zakuro looked coldly down at him. "It's time to stop fooling around. We need to prepare before we run in there." They heard a scream of rage. Everyone turned to look down the tunnel. It was like staring into a black hole: all the light was eaten by the circle of darkness.

"We'll attack in a diamond formation." Keiichiro said. "Masaya, you should be the leading point, with Ryou and myself behind you."

"Zakuro and I will go next," Pai stated, glancing at Zakuro. She nodded.

"Retasu, you want to be next?" Ichigo asked.

"I – I guess so…" Retasu mumbled.

"Ehem!" Minto said pointedly.

Ichigo glared at her. "With Minto, too, of course."

"And I'll bring up the rear!" exclaimed Kish. He hugged Ichigo, whispering in her ear, "Don't worry. I won't let any of the Nulls touch you!" Ichigo rolled her eyes, and pried Kish off of her.

"Sure, whatever you say, Kish." They all took up their positions, shifting nervously as they waited.

"Everyone ready?" Ryou asked, glancing over his shoulder. Instinctively, everyone tightened their grip on their weapons. "Then let's go!" He ran down the tunnel, sword ready to strike. He did not have long to wait. The first Null did not even turn around as he beheaded it, but the second was smarter. It tried to knock him over with his wings, screeching a warning to the others. Ryou smiled grimly; he would not fall for that one again. Then there was no more time to think, just to fight. It seemed like the very air he breathed was clogged with the Nulls' dark aura.

"Masaya, no!" Ryou looked to the side, still fighting a group of Nulls. Masaya had disappeared.

"Ichigo, what happened?" he called, barely able to see his friends.

"They – they _took_ him, God damn it! I can't -- ! Not both of them!" The surging tide of the fight shifted, showing Ryou a glimpse of Ichigo. Tears were streaming down her face, but her expression was one of rage; her teeth bared in a snarl. Then she was gone, off battling another foe.

Ryou fought his way over to Keiichiro. "I'm going to try and find Masaya," he shouted, decapitating the Null Keiichiro was fighting. Keiichiro grinned his thanks, and turned so he and Ryou were back to back.

"Don't go on a suicide run; we all know what most likely will happen."

"If we're not giving up for Purin, we're not giving up for Masaya!" Keiichiro looked at Ryou, his eyes full of understanding.

"Are you sure it's not just because -- "

"On your left!" Ryou gave a sigh of relief as Keiichiro became too preoccupied with fighting to lecture him any longer. "I'm leaving!" he warned. Keiichiro nodded, still struggling with his opponent. Ryou stayed just long enough to finish his duel with the Null in front of him, then he too vanished into the crowd.

* * *

The cry ripped from his throat unbidden. He had been _so close_ to reaching her, and then his path was blocked by a swarm of Nulls. Tart ruthlessly ripped through the Nulls in his way, fighting to reach the one that had Purin. He did not know how much time had passed, only that he had very little left. To top it all off, the Nulls just kept on coming back to life! Wildly swinging, Tart managed to behead one of the Nulls. _And it stayed dead!_ Armed with this knowledge, Tart made his way through the cloud of Nulls to the one he was pursuing. It saw him, screeched, and flew down a side tunnel.

"Oh no you don't!" Tart yelled, chasing after it. The Null snaked its way through the tunnels, trying to loose Tart. The only sounds were of the wind whistling over the Null's wings, and the slap of Tart's feet against the ground. Suddenly the Null disappeared from view. It screeched. Speeding up, Tart rounded the corner where he last saw the Null, and sighed in relief. It was a dead-end.

The Null turned to face Tart, dropping Purin. She let out a soft moan as she hit the ground. They stared at each other, waiting to see who would make the first move. Suddenly, Tart dashed forward, trying to catch the Null off-guard. With a flap of its wings, the Null avoided the attack, catching Tart in the ribs with a powerful kick. He lay stunned for a moment, the wind knocked out of him, but it was a moment too long. The Null landed on him, pinning him down with its own weight. Teeth bared, it lunged for his throat.

There was a rumble, and rocks started showering down from the tunnel ceiling. The Null paused, mere centimeters from Tart's skin. Then, a huge boulder came crashing down through the Null's wing. It gave a scream of pain, flapping backwards with its good wing. Tart scrambled backwards, rocks still falling from the ceiling. He grabbed Purin, and fought his way through the falling debris, past the Null, and into the tunnel beyond. There was one final rumble, and a cloud of dust exploded from the mouth of the tunnel Tart was just in, enveloping him and Purin.

Coughing, his eyes streaming with tears, Tart looked at where the mouth of the tunnel was. Or, at least had been. The rumbling had caused a cave-in, sealing the Null in that dead end forever. Tart shuddered, feeling a momentary flash of pity for the Null, who could never die.

There was a scream from somewhere behind him. Tart turned, and froze in horror. Purin was writhing on the ground, screaming in agony. Purple and black aura rippled over her, multiplying even as they dived into her. With a strangled cry, Tart dashed to Purin's side, fumbling with a pouch at his throat.

"No! No! Purin, not you! Anyone but you!" Hands trembling, Tart extracted a few green leaves from his pouch. Chewing one of the leaves, Tart pulled Purin's upper body onto his lap. He winced as a few stray tendrils of aura wormed their way into his body. As carefully and gently as he could, Tart forced the leaves down Purin's throat. She screamed even louder than before, her body bucking, and flailing its limbs about. Tart pinned her down the best he could, tears streaming down his face. "C'mon, Purin. C'mon," he moaned desperately. Her head was resting in his lap as he forced her arms to her sides. Time seemed to stretch on forever as he sat there, every one of her cries piercing him. The screaming turned to gurgling, then was cut off. Tart shook his head as Purin stopped moving, reaching for her hand. There was no pulse. Giving a wail of sorrow, Tart fell on Purin and sobbed, too heart-broken to hear the sounds of fighting approaching.

Slowly, his crying faded into silence. He lay there with his head on Purin's stomach, just listening. There were screams of Nulls as they died, and the clash of claws and weapons. Occasionally, Tart heard one of his friends call out to one another. They all seemed so distant now.

There was scuffling near his tunnel, and suddenly something landed right next to Tart. He lifted his head, tears still running down his face. Ichigo was standing up, wincing from having slid all the way across the tunnel floor. She looked at Tart, and froze.

"No…" she whispered. "No!" Tart said nothing, staring blankly at Ichigo. "You little monster! What did you do to her?" She picked Tart up by his shirt, and rammed him into the tunnel wall.

Tart's tears flowed more heavily as he whispered, "I loved her, too." Ichigo dropped him, feeling as though he had just slapped her. She turned and fled, leaving Tart lying on the ground, crying.

* * *

Ryou ran down the twisting tunnels, not daring to look over his shoulder. The good news was that he was still alive. The bad news was he did not know if he could say the same for everyone else. He had lost track of where he was shortly after escaping a swarm of Nulls. Time, too, was irrelevant as he ran, trying to put as much distance between himself and his pursuers.

There were footsteps in the tunnel next to his. Ryou could see where the two tunnels converged up ahead. He ran faster, sword at the ready, trying to get the upper hand by reaching the junction first. His sword fell to the floor with a crash as something knocked him to the floor. Ryou lay there for a moment, confused as to what was going on. A wet spot slowly spread across his shirt. Someone was hugging him, and … crying? He picked up his head, peering at a mess of red hair. Stiffly, Ryou lifted his arms, and wrapped them around Ichigo.

"Shh! Shh! It's okay! I've got you, now." Murmuring reassurances, Ryou gently rubbed Ichigo's back. "Shh! You're okay. It's safe now. Shh! Shh!" Gulping for breath, Ichigo shook her head, and buried her face farther into his shirt. Ryou blushed, and moved his hand so that he was stroking her hair.

"D-dead," she stuttered, not lifting her face. "S-she's d-dead!"

Ice filled Ryou's belly. He clutched Ichigo, resting his head on top of hers. "Oh, Ichigo!" Tears leaked from his eyes unbidden. They lay there, silently comforting each other in their grief. Minutes passed in silence, save for the sound of crying. Dreading her response, Ryou whispered, "I'm sorry… I couldn't find Masaya." Ichigo hugged Ryou harder, her breath hitching with sobs. After a while, Ichigo's sobbing stopped. She did not move, just simply breathing. Ryou's face reddened as it became clear she was not planning on moving.

"Uh, Ichigo?"

"What?" Her voice was a horse whisper from all her crying. Ryou's heart nearly broke at how drained she sounded. He wanted to protect her from all this, but it was too late.

"Do you… Do you mind getting off me, now?"

"Hmm?" She blinked, tickling Ryou through his shirt."Oh!" Ichigo sat bolt upright, blushing furiously. She stood up, reaching down to help Ryou up. They stood awkwardly for a moment, blushing in the gloom. Ichigo hugged herself, trembling. Ryou sighed as he heard her start crying again.

"Hey," he said, hugging her from behind. "What's the matter?"

"W-we're all going to die here, aren't we?"

Ryou laughed lightly. "Nah! You're too stubborn to die!" Ichigo sighed, knocking her head back against his chest. "And Minto! Do you think she'd die someplace where there's dirt? I mean, she might get _dirty_!" Ryou said in mock horror. Ichigo laughed. "Pai wouldn't see the logic in dieing, and neither would Zakuro!" He gave Ichigo a light squeeze. "Have a bit more faith in our friends. They're tough."

Ichigo sniffed. "Purin and Masaya were tough, too."

Ryou sighed, his chin on top of Ichigo's head. "I don't know what to tell you." Ichigo leaned sideways into Ryou's arm. "All I know is that I'm not going to die down here."

"Who's idea was this, anyway?" Ichigo asked, looking up at Ryou.

He grinned. "Kish's."

Ichigo groaned. "I should've known!" She was silent for a moment, then whispered, "Ryou?"

"Mm?"

"I want to see the sun again before I die."

Ryou smiled, and kissed the top of Ichigo's head. "I promise you, you will."

_'Cause it's not my time  
I'm not going  
There's a fear in me  
It's not showing  
This could be the end of me  
And everything I know  
But I won't go_


End file.
